Improved water-wheel



N FETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHEH. WASHINGTON. D C4 UNITED STATES ATENE EEicE.

JAMES PLATT, 0E Urrea, NEw vonk.

iMPaoi/ED WATER-WHEEL. i

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,834, dated September 8, 1363; antedated July 20,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I. J Aix/[Es PLATT, of Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Water-Wheel; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specication, in which- Figure 1 is a plan or top view of' my invention 5 Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same, taken in the line w a", Figs. l and 3 5 Fig. 3, a horizontal section of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. 2; Fig. 4', a vertical section of a portion ofthe same, taken in the linez z, Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I willv proceed to describe it.

A represents the wheel'shaft, the lower end of which is stepped in the lower part of a suitable framing, B, as shown at a., and the upper part fitted in a bearing, b, at the upper part of said framing.

.To the lower part of the shaft A the wheel C is attached. This wheel may be described as being formed of an annular box composed of two parts, c d. The part c is the portion that is attached to the shaft A, and said part comprises the bottom and outer side of the wheel, as shown at l 2, Fig. 2, the bottom l being provided with or connected to radial arms 3, which project from a hub, 4, that is fitted on shaft A and secured thereto by a setscrew, 5. rlhe other portion, Z of the wheel is composed of the top 6 and the inner side, 7, the latter extending down to a semicircular rim, e, which is attached to arms f, that project from a hub,g, through which the shaftA passes loosely.

D is a box or chute, of sector form, which is attached to the rim e, the outer edge of the former coinciding with the latter. (See Fig. 3.) Between the box or chute D andthe end of the rim e there is a space or opening, h, which serves as the eduction or discharge opening for the wheel. The box or chute D is the induction-passage, and it has a pipe or tube, E, attached, which is provided with a gate, F. (See Fig. 2.) The upper edge of the outer side, 2, of the wheel is provided with a hori zontal flange, Ai, and the top plate, 6, of the wheel projects over said iiange fi and is secured thereto by bolts or screws j. The lower edge of the inner side,7, of the wheel ts on the rim e and within a circular tlange, las@ as to make a joint as near water-tight as may be without producing much friction. (See Fig. 2.) To the edge of the box or chute D, or rather at one side of its orifice,there is secured a segment, G, which is fitted within the wheel C, and has a permanent position therein. This segment serves as a partition or abutment within the wheel, (see Fig. 3,) and its use will be presently shown.

H H represent the buckets, which are fitted within the wheel at opposite sides of its centeror shaft. These buckets are attached at their outer ends to shafts ZZ, which are fitted vertically in recesses m in, at the outer side of i the wheel. The buckets are allowed to swing from their shafts ll as centers and extend entirely across the wheel when acted upon by the water, or be withdrawn or swing within their recesses m m when in an open state, so as to leave the inner surface of the-side 2 perfectly `free or unobstructed. (See Fig. 3, in which both posit-ions of the buckets are shown.) The upper ends of the shafts l Z are each provided with an armm., which have friction-rollers o o at their ends. These friction-rollers o o work within a stationary-cam, I, which is secured to the vframing A directly above the wheel G. One portion,p, ofthe cam is a semicircle and formedy of a single rim, While the other portion, q, may be described as being of the form of asemi-ellipse, and composed of two concen tric'rims, 8 8, as shown clearly in Fig. l.

rIhe operation of the wheel is as follows: When the gate F is ope-n, the water passes through the pipe or tube E into the box or chute D, and from thence into the wheel C, and acts against the bucket H, which extends across the wheel, the partition or abutment Gr preventing the water from moving in an opposite direction. (See Fig. 3.) rIhe bucket H is kept across the wheel by the part p of the cam I, the roller o of the arm n of said bucket being within the part p, and when said bucket reaches the opening l1l it is thrown open by the part q of the cam, the roller o working or passing between the rims 8 8. As one bucket opens the other closes or is extended across the wheel by the part p of the can). The buckets, it will be seen, are allowed to pass the partition or abutment G, in consequence of being Within the recesses m When passing the abutment.

By this invention it Will be seen that after the e'ective force of the Water has expended itself against or upon the buckets itis discharged, the Water passing about halt' Way round the Wheel. The Water, therefore, cannot serve as a drag or drawback, as would be the case if it passed entirely around the Wheel, )r the Water is discharged from the Wheel before the Velocity of the former is appreciably diminished.

I would remark that this Wheel might be placed and run in a vertical position, but a horizontal position would be preferable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new7 and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The arrangement of the pivoted buckets H H, recesses m m, and segment G with the wheel C, hubs 4g, armsf, and inclined sectorchute D, all in the manner herein shown and described.

JAMES PLATT.

Witnesses:

JOHN R. TIM-AN, ALEXANDER UoBURN. 

